The Baird Institute relies on the commitment and good will of our supporters, donors, staff, contractors, volunteers, Research Fellows and students. We value your privacy and strive to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles in all our activities, as detailed in our Privacy Policy and our Code of Conduct.

The Australian Privacy Principles

The Australian Government introduced new legislation, effective 12 March 2014, which further protects the privacy of individuals. These principles replace the National Privacy Principles that came into force on 21 December 2001. Should you wish to, you can find out more about these principles by calling the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 36 39 92 or through their website at http://www.oaic.gov.au/.

The Baird Institute respects and upholds your right to privacy protection under the National Privacy Principles in regulating how we collect, use, disclose and hold your personal information. We have a detailed policy and set of procedures to ensure that only those employees authorised by the Executive Director have access to your personal information and that it remains confidential and is only used for appropriate purposes and in accordance with this notice.

What is your Personal Information?

When used in this privacy policy, the term “personal information” has the meaning given to it in the Act. In general terms, it is any information that can be used to personally identify you. This may include your name, address, telephone number, email address and date of birth. If the information we collect personally identifies you, or you are reasonably identifiable from it, the information will be considered personal information.

How we collect your Information

We collect your personal information directly from you unless it is unreasonable or impracticable to do so. When collecting personal information from you, we may collect in ways including: through the access and use of our website; during conversations between you and our representatives or when you complete applicable forms.

Using your Information

We use the information you provide to us only as you would expect. For example, if you donate to The Baird Institute, we use your information to process your donations, distribute newsletters, research updates and appeal letters, to send you invitations to events or to change your details as instructed by you. We need certain information to meet your expectations as a supporter; for example, we cannot issue you with a tax receipt or send you information about our research if we don’t have your name and address.

On our donation forms we sometimes ask you for your date of birth, this is only to distinguish you from others donors with the same name. For supporters making a donation, either electronically, by the phone or through the mail, your credit card information is only used for the purpose of processing that donation. Electronic donations made via our website, are processed through PayPal and thus we receive no information in regards to your credit card details.

If you apply to work with us (including as a volunteer) then we will collect information (such as your work experience and references) so that we can make a decision about your suitability, experience and qualifications for the specific role.

At no stage will The Baird Institute publish details of supporters and donors without their explicit permission. Nor does the Institute distribute supporters’ information to third parties for any purpose.

Direct Marketing Materials

We may send you newsletters, research updates and appeal letters as well as invitations to events held by The Baird Institute, that we consider may be of interest to you. These communications may be sent in various forms including mail and email in accordance with applicable marketing laws, such as the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). If you indicate a preference for a method of communication, we will endeavour to use that method whenever practical to do so. In addition, at any time you may opt out of receiving marketing communications from us by contacting us (see below) or by using Opt out facilities provided in the marketing communications and we will then ensure that your name is removed from our mailing list.

Anonymity

Where it is lawful and practicable, we will allow individuals to deal with us on an anonymous basis. For example, if we receive a telephone enquiry we will not require that the enquirer gives us their name, although depending on the nature of the enquiry, we may not be able to answer it unless they do. We can also accept gifts and other forms of support anonymously. However, provisions contained in taxation legislation require The Baird Institute to collect the name of the donor if the donor requires a tax deductible receipt.

Security of your Personal Information

The Institute regards the security of your personal information as a priority and takes a number of precautions to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Specific security precautions are in place for processing online payments through PayPal (see below). We need to remind you, however, that the Internet is not a secure environment and although all care is taken, we cannot guarantee the security of information you provide to us via electronic means.

Accessing and Updating your Information

If at any time you want to know what personal information we hold about you please address your request to the Executive Director. If you believe that personal information we hold about you is incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate, then you may request us to amend it. If you want your information deleted, we will take all reasonable steps to delete it, unless we need to keep it for legal, auditing or internal risk management reasons. You will continue to receive correspondence from us unless you contact us and specifically ask for your contact details to be deleted.

At all times, we will take all reasonable steps to keep your information safe (whether electronic or in hard copy) and to keep it up to date.

If we use personal information in ways other than as stated in this policy, we will ensure we comply with the requirements of Privacy Legislation.

What is the Process for Complaining about a Breach of Privacy?

If you believe that your privacy has been breached, please contact us using the contact information below and provide details of the incident so that we can investigate it.

How to Contact the Institute

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, any concerns or a complaint regarding the treatment of your privacy or a possible breach of your privacy, please contact us via one of the methods listed below.

We will treat your requests or complaints confidentially. Our representative will contact you within a reasonable time after receipt of your complaint, to discuss your concerns and outline options regarding how they may be resolved. We will attempt to respond to all enquiries about privacy and personal details within three (3) to four (4) working days.

Links on Website

Our website may contain links to other websites operated by third parties. We make no representations or warranties in relation to the privacy practices of any third party website and we are not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of any third party website. Third party websites are responsible for informing you about their own privacy practices.